Community Responses to Human Trafficking

Addressing human trafficking requires the collaborative effort of not only the nonprofit and NGO community, but also law enforcement and other governmental agencies, as well as medical, legal, and other professionals. FAIR Fund provides educational training to a variety of professionals who could potentially identity and assist a victim of trafficking or even help prevent a potential trafficking situation before it starts. FAIR Fund is a member of the Washington, DC Anti Trafficking Task Force and the national multi-agency association, the Freedom Network.  Additionally, FAIR Fund has organized local area anti-trafficking trainings for professionals and youth in a variety of U.S. and international settings.  A few sample anti-trafficking sites include Boston, Massachusetts, Austin, Texas, Washington, DC, New York City, New York, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Sarajevo, Bosnia, Belgrade, Serbia, and Nairobi, Kenya.  Through our trainings, we have reached over 40 social service agencies and 2,000 professionals and many more students.

The Washington, DC Anti Trafficking Task Force

FAIR Fund is an active member of the DC Anti Trafficking Task Force and co-chairs the Youth and Victim Services committee.  Through this committee, FAIR Fund works together with other members of the DC Task Force to help prevent the trafficking of young people in the greater Washington, DC area.  This has been done primarily through trainings for youth service providers, educators, and most recently, adolescents.  FAIR Fund also participates in the training of area Washington, DC law enforcement.  To date, over 400 law enforcement have been trained and in March 2007, FAIR Fund was commended by the Chief of Police in Washington, DC for their efforts in combating human trafficking in the city.

The Freedom Network USA. The Freedom Network is a national collaborative network of leading anti-trafficking agencies in the United States.  Members identify and assist trafficked persons in the United States and abroad and provide critical shelter, social and legal services, and outreach to both adult and minor victims.   During the past few years, the annual conference has brought together over 200 advocates, international and national governmental and nongovernmental officials as well as legal and law enforcement professionals to share ideas, learn new skills, and identify new strategies to end human trafficking.  FAIR Fund currently co-chairs the International Committee of the Freedom Network.